Lek (river)
Lek is the name of a 62 kilometer long section of the Nederrijn -Lek river, which is one of the main rivers of the Rhine delta . This course of the river is called the Lek from the junction of the Oude Rijn ("Old Rhine", here also Kromme Rijn - "Krummer Rhein" - called) at Wijk bij Duurstede . In historical times the course Nederrijn-Oude-Rijn formed the main course, the Lek was only a branch of it. After many floods, mainly in Utrecht and Leiden , the Oude Rijn was dammed in 1123. The lek became the main stream.
At Krimpen aan de Lek (municipality of Nederlek ), Lek and Noord , another main section of the delta, merge to form the Nieuwe Maas (New Maas). The Lek section lies entirely in the Netherlands , initially forming the border between the provinces of Utrecht and Gelderland and then flowing through part of the province of Zuid-Holland . The tides of the sea are effective on the river as far as Nieuwegein , south of Utrecht.
There are no large cities on the Lek, but there are a number of historic towns: Wijk bij Duurstede, Vianen , Ameide , Nieuwpoort and Schoonhoven . The largest city is Nieuwegein, the historical core of which is Vreeswijk am Lek. The Lek is connected to other waterways via the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal and the Merwede Canal . Shortly after Wijk bij Duurstede it crosses the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal, and at Vianen the Merwede Canal. An older connection is the Vlist , which forms a connection to the Hollandse IJssel from Schoonhoven . At Hagestein there is a weir with a lock system and a fish ladder .
Bridges are in Vianen, a railway bridge is in Culemborg ( Culemborg Railway Bridge ). Otherwise only ferry connections are available.
Web links
- Rijkswaterstaat: Lek (Dutch)